Medicare open enrollment kicks off in Montana — and plans are more expensive than ever

More than 260,000 Montanans will be notified this week that it’s time to enroll in a Medicare plan for next year. When they check out their options for re-upping the government-backed health insurance for seniors, many will find that the cost of their coverage has ballooned.

Some plans will carry double-digit percentage increases in premium prices. Others come with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.

Medicare’s annual open enrollment period began Wednesday and runs through Dec. 7. It marks the start of the yearly health insurance sign-up cycle for many Montanans who rely on either the longtime public benefit or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace for health care coverage.

But against a backdrop of rising costs and political uncertainty wrought by the current government